Therapeutic MINDFUL PHOTOGRAPHY Program

Upcoming Training DateS

Please use the application link to apply for my Winter 2025 Within & Without™ training. Once I receive your application, I will get back to you with next steps. Review this page for details and reach out with any additional questions!

January 2026 8-hr welcoming introduction to grief-informed practice — created for those supporting grievers and anyone wishing to engage in a unique, experiential training journey.

Discounts available for students and NEDA members.

Where: Virtual 

When:  Jan 9th 9am-11am PT

                Jan 16th 9am-11am PT

                Jan 23rd 9am-11am PT

                 Jan 30th 9am-11am PT

March 2026  Advanced Group Training dates coming soon!

Apply for Training
“In a dominant culture so uncomfortable with death, where ancestral mourning rituals are long forgotten, creative practices like the mindful photography and reflection skillfully taught by Jessica Thomas can offer a transformative portal to meaning-making and healing."
-Holly J. Pruett funeral celebrant, death doula, community death educator
"The photography activity we did was especially impactful in terms of the creation of metaphors for a client that the therapist could use, and I see this being a powerful tool. I loved how naturally it happened and saw that even in the short sharing time in the breakout groups, how easy it was to then discuss grief using metaphors."
-Kaeley C. O’Leary Stephenstherapist

Engage in a

unique, experiential training journey.

Created for:

  • Personal growth
  • counselors
  • death doulas
  • hospice organizations
  • therapists
  • social workers
  • art therapists
  • organization advocates
  • skilled nursing facilities, or
  • volunteers
  • Grief Coaches

Those who are seeking to integrate a Within & Without™ therapeutic mindful photography practice or program into their own life and work. Note: all trainings are for educational purposes only and not considered therapy.

Looking for mindful photography as an individual grief group?  Find our more, here Grief Groups | Within & Without™

Mindful Photography Training Overview

Based on Dr. Thomas’s research and extensive experience, you will receive direct training in Within & Without™ therapeutic mindful photography for grief. These trainings offer in-depth knowledge of therapeutic mindful photography, aesthetic perception, symbolism and photographic equivalent, grief ritual, personal and transpersonal narratives, meaning-making, and the impactful role of aesthetic interventions in the grieving process. 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: 

 You will not only develop an intellectual understanding of the practice and program but also engage in direct experiences through various ways of knowing, such as self-reflection, creative expression, intuition, interpersonal communication, and observation.

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Within & Without™

By The End of these Trainings You'll Have

  • An overview of therapeutic grief models that emphasis meaning and transformation 
  • Theoretical  knowledge on therapeutic  mindful photography 
  • Experiential understanding on how to practice the  Within & Without ™ method
  • An understanding of the role meaning-making can have on the grief process
  • The knowledge on how aesthetic interventions work and how they can support grievers 
  • An understanding of the lived experience of grief through the lens of the Within & Without ™ method
  • An understanding on how to facilitate therapeutic photo elicitation
  • How Within & Without ™ is facilitated both online and in person.
  • An understanding of  the therapeutic impact of integrating nature to support grievers
  • The opportunity to stay connected and share with other professionals utilizing Within & Without™

As an experienced educator and practitioner, I aim to balance structure with intuitive inquiry, valuing all perspectives and demonstrating how to cultivate a safe environment where participants can freely create and express themselves.

Apply to the training

therapeutic mindful photography program

Within & Without™ Training Options

Both the intro training and the advanced grief group facilitation training are offered virtually. They can both be applied in your independent practice and your work. If your organization is interested in bringing this training to your team, please reach out to Dr. Jessica to arrange a consultation.

Intro Training

This introductory training offers an experiential and exploratory learning journey designed to support both personal and professional growth. Through the Within & Without™ practice, you’ll deepen your self-awareness, expand your capacity to be present with grief, and cultivate tools to integrate this approach into individual sessions. This foundational training also serves as a prerequisite for the advanced program, where you’ll learn to facilitate group work.

Advanced Certification Training

This advanced training is designed for professionals who wish to deepen their facilitation skills in guiding Within & Without™ grief groups as a therapeutic and meaning-making practice. The training emphasizes co-construction of meaning, cultivating presence, and the art of being a witnesser to the unfolding of grief narratives within group settings. Upon completion, participants will receive a certificate of completion and an electronic badge acknowledging their advanced training in Within & Without™ group facilitation.

Badge for Completing all trainings

Testimonials for the program

"I am drawn to narrative therapy and understand grieving as a process of meaning-making. Despite my narrative orientation, I was not expecting the photography assignment to be a very meaningful activity for me. I was surprised by what came up in my reflections, there was much more beneath the surface than I realized. I have a new appreciation for pulling in other mediums to aid in the meaning-making process. I love the idea of utilizing practices such as Within & Without with clients as they mirror the creative process of narrative construction.”
- Lily NajmabadiTherapist
"Thank you for your time and energy put into this class. I gained a lot of value and was reminded how one can be effective with therapy through creativity. As an artist one of my major identity struggles has come with my pursuit of my therapist’s license. Who am I now? Am I giving up a part of me? This class illuminated how one can bring all of themselves into this work. The Within & Without exercise was not only cathartic, but it stimulated my thinking and prompted me to reflect and create meaning. When this is paired with a topic such as grief, creativity makes room for empowerment. There is also an honoring of the client being the expert of their own experience. It is their perceptions and conceptualization of symbolism that is valued and ultimately deemed as their truth.”
- Colin Chuteartist, therapist
"The Within & Without practice, developed and introduced by the professor Thomas was not only an unexpectedly illuminating process that fits into my wheelhouse of Arts-Based Research, but is also an intervention that I think holds a lot of potential use in Art Therapy (I may actually use it to do some self-research around climate grief in support of my thesis development.) The dyadic discussion I had with a classmate about this exercise afforded me a rare opportunity to discuss grief with a stranger, an instance that I found very uncomfortable but enriching."
- Audrey ConnorArt Therapist
"I want to own that I was deeply skeptical of the Within & Without practice. I don’t think I’ve experienced anything as powerful and integral to my growth as a therapist and person as I have through these three, mundane photos of my environment. The Within & Without practice and class and doing this work in front of 15 others was also immensely important to this growth as well, especially when it comes to my inevitable work with those who are dying and grieving. I want to offer a space to witness and for witnessing people’s journeys, whether it’s my own, others’ “wretched anxiety,” or mortality. From a deepest space, thank you for offering this space to us."
- Anonymous student
" Talking about grief head-on is more difficult for me. Within & Without practice led to so much more introspection and I felt able to connect more deeply with my grief. In fact, after doing that activity, I felt more connected to my grief than I have for years. I have continued returning to the images in my mind, thinking about those metaphors. I absolutely plan to use this practice with my future clients. It is a beautiful way to connect with one’s grief and be able to go deeper than words."
- Genevieve Stiers Student

Frequently Asked Questions About the Program

No. You do not have to take both. However you will not be permitted to offer Within & Without ™ grief groups without taking both trainings. 

Unlike conventional approaches to photography, mindful photography sees beyond what is “looked” at. The focus is clear seeing and personal resonance. Photography, when practiced mindfully, can facilitate an aesthetic experience wherein one learns to temporarily overcome the subject-and-object dichotomy and disconnection. The process of mindful photography involves the acts of receiving, letting go, and learning to wait. You let go of thinking, judging, self-evaluation, clinging, and rejecting and accepting whatever comes, good or bad. When photography is practiced mindfully, it can be therapeutic and increase awareness and the capacity to create meaning through our experiences.

Trainings will teach you the therapeutic impact of MP through the Within & Without™ therapeutic mindful photography method.

The introduction training is an 8 hr training broken up over 3-4 days.

The advanced group facilitation training is a 8hr training that is broken up over a few days.

Please complete an application form and Dr. Jessica will be in touch with you to formally register and pay for the training.

The intro training is $500.00. The advanced training is $500. Discounts are available for students, NEDA members, and those with financial need. To request this option, please email us. Approved CE’s are sometimes available for an additional $75.00.

The current trainings are online. In person trainings will be announced later.

Approved CE’s are occasionally available for an  additional fee. 

When offered, CE credits for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is sponsoring this program. The SCA is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. SCA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CE credits for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and
LMFT license renewal for programs offered by sponsors of CE who are approved by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP and LMFTs, and other professionals from outside of California need to
check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept credits from programs
offered by approved sponsors of CE by the American Psychological Association.
• SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for
licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes. Nurses outside of California must confirm acceptance with their licensing boards.
•For questions about whether APA CE is valid for you, contact your licensing board directly.

For questions about CE’s for this program, contact Spiritual Competency Academy at info@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com.occa

For questions about receiving your Certificate of Attendance, contact Dr. Jessica Thomas at Jessica@ReflectiveTherapy.com.

Dr. Jessica Thomas smiling warmly while wearing a golden-yellow blouse, surrounded by softly blurred yellow botanicals against a neutral background.

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